The SSH daemon must not permit root logins.

From VMware vSphere ESXi 6.0 Security Technical Implementation Guide

Part of SRG-OS-000480-VMM-002000

Associated with: CCI-000366

SV-77687r1_rule The SSH daemon must not permit root logins.

Vulnerability discussion

Permitting direct root login reduces auditable information about who ran privileged commands on the system and also allows direct attack attempts on root's password.

Check content

To verify how the SSH daemon's "PermitRootLogin" option is set, run the following command: # grep -i "^PermitRootLogin" /etc/ssh/sshd_config If there is no output or the output is not exactly "PermitRootLogin no", this is a finding.

Fix text

The root user should never be allowed to log in to a system directly over a network. Add or correct the following line in "/etc/ssh/sshd_config": PermitRootLogin no

Pro Tips

Lavender hyperlinks in small type off to the right (of CSS class id, if you view the page source) point to globally unique URIs for each document and item. Copy the link location and paste anywhere you need to talk unambiguously about these things.

You can obtain data about documents and items in other formats. Simply provide an HTTP header Accept: text/turtle or Accept: application/rdf+xml.